NAACP: Breitbart 'snookered' us

NAACP President Ben Jealous on Tuesday said the organization had been “snookered” into condemning former Agriculture Department official Shirley Sherrod.

Jealous said in a statement: "While we understand why [Agriculture] Secretary [Tom] Vilsack believes this false controversy will impede her ability to function in the role, we urge him to reconsider."

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Sherrod was fired Monday after a video — posted on one of Andrew Breitbart’s conservative sites — showed Sherrod saying she had not given a white farmer her “full force.”

On Tuesday, the family of the Georgia farmer Sherrod was speaking of in the video came forward to defend her. Sherrod also went on CNN to defend herself and attack the NAACP for criticizing her without first calling her to confirm details. She also charged on CNN that the White House wanted her to resign – a claim the White House denies.

After hearing Sherrod’s criticism, Jealous called Sherrod to hear her out. Following the call, he released a statement saying the organization had been wrong to condemn her.

“With regard to the initial media coverage of the resignation of USDA official Shirley Sherrod, we have come to the conclusion we were snookered by Fox News and Tea Party Activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias,” said Jealous. “Having reviewed the full tape, spoken to Ms. Sherrod, and most importantly heard the testimony of the white farmers mentioned in this story, we now believe the organization that edited the documents did so with the intention of deceiving millions of Americans.”

“The fact is Ms. Sherrod did help the white farmers mentioned in her speech,” he continued. “They personally credit her with helping to save their family farm.”

Breitbart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Later, Jealous said he apologized to Sherrod. “Spoke to Ms. Sherrod earlier today and personally apologized. Plan to meet with her face-to-face the next time I'm in Georgia,” Jealous wrote on his Twitter account.

The NAACP also posted the full, unedited video of Sherrod speaking at the NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner.

During her interview with CNN, Sherrod blamed the NAACP’s recent dust-up with the tea party for the edited video’s release.

“They got into a fight with the tea party, and all of this came out as a result of that,” Sherrod said, in reference to the NAACP’s resolution last week accusing the tea party of having used “racist” tactics.

Sherrod also says that, contrary to her partial comments seen on the edited tape, she did end up helping the white farmer to keep from going into foreclosure, an account backed up the farmers, Roger and Eloise Spooner of Albany, Ga.